I love the jabby finger. The I'm-really-quite-cross tone of voice. The moment when Sir Alan's chosen victim realises that they are for it. But it's just telly, right? No employer could really call you in, mumble some spurious justification (last week: "Possibly there's no smoke without fire. Quite frankly, I think you've lost it.") and then shout: "You're fired!" Could they?

Andrew Smith knows better. Seven weeks after moving his family to the West Country to take up a new job at a publishing company, Smith was asked to come in for a chat. "I was called into the office by the MD at the end of a busy Friday and was told, out of the blue, that I was being 'released' because it 'wasn't working for them'," he says.

"I was in his office for about an hour and asked specifically why I was being let go, and demonstrated all of the work I'd done in order to change the decision. I even asked if there might be another job in the company I could do, but I was asked to leave there and then. I spoke to no one - all I said was: 'Have a great weekend.'"

Astonishingly, as Julie Morris, employment partner at specialist law firm Russell Jones & Walker, explains, your employer really can march you off the premises - provided you have been there less than a year. "All Alan Sugar has to do is give them notice of not less than one week, and in law he doesn't have to go through a process ..." she says.

Gulp. But surely employers have to come up with something better than "there's no smoke without fire" or indeed, "it isn't working"? Well, sort of. "If that person had a claim through discrimination - for example they thought they had been fired because they were pregnant, or because they were a whistleblower - you might have a problem," Morris explains. "But otherwise it's perfectly legal."

In fact, the full protection of the law only really kicks in once you've completed a year - and even then, provided the employer follows procedure, if they are determined to fire you, they can. The three main justifications are misconduct (things like being late on a regular basis), gross misconduct (having your hand in the till or having a fight at work) and capability (underperforming).

Once your employer has decided you've done something wrong, they have to invite you to attend a disciplinary meeting where you'll be told what the allegation is, and be given the chance to respond. Afterwards, the employer should tell you the outcome (which might be a verbal or written warning) and you'll have the right to appeal. "You should be told what is expected of you going forward, and how long the warning will stay on your record," says Morris. "If something else happens within the warning period, the next stage might be a final written warning - and after that you could be fired."

No one wants to get called into the boss's office for "a chat". But once the process has started, what should you do? Morris says once you have consulted the company disciplinary procedure, taking a step back is essential. "Often there is a grain of truth in the first allegation, but then other allegations are added that are not fair. Everyone's instinct is to justify and defend, but it's often better to acknowledge the fault, point out that it hasn't happened before and won't happen again," she says. "I had a guy accused of bullying his staff. He put himself on a management course and his employer couldn't dismiss him because he was doing everything he could to improve."

Uzair Bawany, group managing director of Contact Recruitment, has done his fair share of sacking and says that, most of the time, your boss really doesn't want to fire you. "Usually we will have been dealing with the issue for months beforehand, giving the opportunity for the person to change and improve," he says. "So when you actually have to fire someone, it is not a pleasant experience and is certainly not something I take lightly or enjoy. You have to feel sure that you have done everything you could to help that individual."

But when it comes to that final meeting, Andrew Smith advises damage limitation. "Negotiate for the best possible outcome: a good reference and a pay-off," he says. "However, if they've truly made their minds up that you're leaving, they won't be persuaded to change their minds, and it's probably for the best for you too. Don't make a fuss when you leave the meeting, just get the hell out of there, or they'll soon change their mind about that reference!"

Julie Morris agrees. "Speak to them about resigning rather than being sacked," she says, "and make use of your right to be accompanied, preferably be someone from a trade union. You don't have to be a member to have them come along."

Lastly, remember that being fired is unlikely to signal the end of your career. "In the words of the Smiths, I can laugh about it now, but at the time it was terrible," Smith says.

"I was unemployed for three months, but I've a much better job now and it has all worked out."